On July 29 and 30, forty-one Lionheart employees took part in basic military preparatory training. They spent the first part in lectures at the Lionheart Main Office and the rest in hands-on exercises at the firing range. The training was led by LT Karl John F. Pedroso (INF) PA and SSg Dixon N. Duran (INF) PA.

Participants covered combat lifesaving, tactical casualty care, weapons familiarization, and rifle marksmanship. They were also held to the standards of military service: discipline, obedience, and loyalty, along with its values and ethics. Teamwork, resilience, leadership, and focus came out of that too, and those are the same things any good team at Lionheart needs.

Discipline

On the training ground, every command counted and there were no shortcuts. Trainees saw that discipline is built by doing things right again and again, not decided once.

The rule is the same whether you are tapping sap before sunrise or managing stock: show up ready, act with focus, and finish what you start.

Teamwork Under Pressure

As the drills got harder, the group stopped working as individuals and started moving as one. If one person fell behind, everyone felt it.

Work at Lionheart runs the same way. Farmers depend on logistics, and logistics depends on the warehouse. Under pressure, strong teams talk more, adapt faster, and share the load.

 

Leadership without rank 

Leadership showed up in small acts: fixing a teammate’s gear, helping someone catch up, calling on the group to keep going. Some trainees noticed who was struggling and stepped in without being asked. When everyone was tired, the ones who stayed calm helped the rest push through.

Good leaders don’t always stand in front. They stand with the team and keep it steady.

Pride in Service 

For many, the training was also about identity. One trainee shared:

“Joining the military reservists showed me my identity and my service are one. My strength, resilience, and commitment come from who I am. I stand ready to contribute—not despite my identity, but because of it.”

The rest of the group felt the same. Seeing a colleague serve as their whole self made it easier for others to step forward with their own strengths.

Why Lionheart trains its people

The two days left the group tired but satisfied. The aim was never to turn employees into soldiers. It was to build unity, focus, and resilience that carry back to the farm, the factory, and the office.

At Lionheart, we grow coconut sap products, and we also grow people who stand together and act with courage.